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About This Podcast
The podcast that brings together football and politics. We'll be exploring the relationship between the two, both inside and outside the game.
The podcast covers "Big Politics" like politicians, clubs, international and national federations and other organised groups and how they use or abuse the game to "Small, Everyday Politics" in the form of community-level clubs, fan associations and the way that football reflects the political challenges of our day to day lives.
The FootPol Podcast is brought to you by co-hosts Drs Francesco Belcastro and Guy Burton.
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Recent Episodes
S3E20 World Cup 2026 special issue ft. Danyel Reiche & Tamir Bar-On
The 2026 World Cup is already generating political heat long before kick-off. In this episode, Francesco is joined by Tamir Bar-On and Danyel Reiche, sport and politics experts and editors of a new…
S3E19 How France’s Football Became a Political Battleground ft. Jonathan Ervine
With the 2026 World Cup just weeks away, France once again enters the tournament as one of football’s superpowers — but what does the French national team actually represent in modern France? In this…
S3E18 2026 World Cup Debutants: How Curaçao Built a World Cup Team in the Netherlands ft. Karym Leito & Margo Groenewoud
As Curaçao prepares for its first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance, the latest episode of the FootPol podcast goes far beyond football. Host Guy Burton is joined by historians and researchers Karym…
S3E17 Can Football Explain Globalisation? Revisiting the Theory ft. Graham Cornwell
What does football really reveal about globalisation—and where does that neat theory start to fall apart? In this episode, hosts Guy Burton and Francesco Belcastro are joined by historian and analyst…
S3E16 2026 World Cup Debutants: Jordan's Football Story ft. Curtis Ryan
A compelling instalment in our in-season series on World Cup debutants, in this episode co-hosts Guy and Francesco talk to Middle East scholar Curtis Ryan of Appalachian State University about…
S3E15 Sacred Grounds: People's Football in India ft. Sandeep Menon
This week's FootPol Podcast episode explores Indian football as a political and social phenomenon rather than simply a sport. Joining co-hosts Guy Burton and Francesco Belcastro in conversation is…
S3 Insta‑FootPol. AFCON Fallout, Iran World Cup Participation and Iranian Women’s Asylum
In the FootPol Podcast's latest episode, Francesco Belcastro and Guy Burton unpack the latest political storms that have shaken the football world in the past week. They start with the AFCON 2025…
S3E14 Staples, Satire and Protest: The Politics of Football Fanzines ft. Paddy Hoey
Football fanzines were once the DIY voice of supporters in Britain — photocopied, stapled together, and sold outside stadiums by fans who wanted to challenge clubs, authorities, and the football…
S3 Insta-FootPol. The US-Israel War with Iran and the 2026 World Cup
In this special FootPol Podcast episode, co-hosts Francesco Belcastro and Guy Burton confront the explosive intersection of geopolitics and sport as the United States and Israel’s military attacks on…
S3E13 2026 World Cup Debutants: Uniting the Islands — Cabo Verde ft. Emmanuel Charles D’Oliveira & Nuno Domingos
The FootPol Podcast has reached 100 episodes! To mark this special occasion, we return to this season's World Cup debutants series, this time focusing on Cabo Verde’s historic qualification for the…
S3E12 Breaking Barriers: Women’s Football Across the Middle East ft. Assile Toufailly
Women’s football in the Middle East and North Africa is changing fast — but unevenly. In this 99th episode of the FootPol Podcast, co-hosts Francesco Becastro and Guy Burton speak with Assile…
S3E11 Carnival or Control? Politics and the 2026 World Cup ft. Pete Watson & Roger Magazine
As the 2026 World Cup approaches, how will geopolitics, migration policy and fan culture shape the tournament across the United States, Mexico and Canada? In this episode of FootPol, Guy Burton is…
S3E10 Grassroots, Growth and the Game: Football in New Zealand ft. CJ Price
In this episode of FootPol, Francesco Belcastro and Guy Burton are joined by CJ Price, Director of Football at Palmerston North Marist FC, for a deep dive into how football is evolving in New Zealand…
S3E9 How the Football Association Took Over the Women's Game ft. Rafaelle Nicholson
What really happened when the FA took over women’s football in 1993 – and why does it still matter today?In this first episode of 2026, co-hosts Francesco Belcastro and Guy Burton are joined by…
S3E8 From College to the Pros: Power and Pathways in Women’s Football ft. Sydney Minarik
As the year comes to a close, FootPol examines what it really takes to build a career in women’s football — and how politics, policy and power shape pathways into the professional game. In this…
S3E7 2026 World Cup Debutants: Uzbekistan’s Rise from Soviet Shadows ft. Donat Iskanderov
Last Friday's 2026 World Cup draw in Washington DC kicks off a new mini-series running on the FootPol Podcast this season, about debutant nations heading to next year’s tournament. In this first…
S3E6 Football in a state of emergency ft. David Goldblatt
Historian and sociologist of football David Goldblatt is back on the podcast to talk to hosts Guy and Francesco about his latest book 'Injury Time. Football in a state of emergency'. David's…
S3E5 How Football Sells Its History: Stadium Tourism and Identity ft. Felipe Tobar
This week on The FootPol Podcast, we explore the booming world of football tourism, stadium tours, and club museums with expert Felipe Bertazzo Tobar of Clemson University. From the Camp Nou to the…
S3E4 Fueling or burning the game? Football clubs, fans and energy companies ft. Leslie Mabon
In the latest FootPol Podcast episode, Leslie Mabon, senior lecturer in environmental systems at The Open University discusses how football’s deep ties to industry reveal a bigger story about climate…
S3E3 African Fans, European Dreams ft. Manase Chinwesha and Solomon Waliaula
Why do millions of Africans passionately support European football clubs they’ve never seen in person? This episode addresses this question in Manase Chiweshe and Solomon Waliaula's recent book…
Frequently Asked Questions
The FootPol Podcast has published 109 episodes since September 2023, covering topics in News, Politics.
The FootPol Podcast is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 42m.
